Production of gloves and other articles of flexible polymer material

Abstract

A process for producing an article in a flexible foamed polymer material, including treating a former with a coagulant; dipping the treated former in a latex foam mixture to form a layer of the mixture on the former that includes air cells; curing the layer to gel the foam mixture to a cross-linked open cell structure; and stripping the layer from the former; where the latex foam mixture includes a natural latex polymer as a primary polymer component, and a synthetic latex polymer as a secondary polymer component, which synthetic latex polymer is selected to enhance the evenness and/or fineness of said open cell structure.

1 . An article, comprising: 
 a glove having cured latex layer; and    the cured latex layer having an open cell structure and an air content in the range of 30 to 60%.    
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the open cell structure is cross linked.  
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the air content in the cured latex layer is in the range 45 to 55%.  
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein an air content in the cured latex layer is in the range 45 to 55%.  
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the cured latex layer includes a natural latex polymer and a synthetic latex polymer.  
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is an acrylic terpolymer.  
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is a blend of acrylic terpolymer and polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is present in a proportion of the total of the natural latex polymer and the synthetic latex polymer in the range of 2 to 10%.  
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is present in a proportion of the total of the natural latex polymer and the synthetic latex polymer in the range of 5 to 6%.  
     
     
         11 . An article, comprising: 
 a glove having cured unfoamed latex layer;    a second cured foamed latex layer;    the second cured foamed latex layer adhered to cured unfoamed latex layer; and    the cured latex layer having an open cell structure and an air content in the range of 30 to 60%.    
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the cured latex layer includes a natural latex polymer and a synthetic latex polymer.  
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is an acrylic terpolymer.  
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is a blend of acrylic terpolymer and polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is present in a proportion of the total of the natural latex polymer and the synthetic latex polymer in the range of 2 to 10%.  
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the synthetic latex polymer is present in a proportion of the total of the natural latex polymer and the synthetic latex polymer in the range of 5 to 6%.